Player of the Week
Maxime Raynaud, Stanford
Raynaud is a senior on the Stanford Cardinal and was by far the best player this week. The Cardinal are 5-0 to start the year and are led by the 7’1 forward. In the squads two games this week, Raynaud had a double double in both garnering 22 points and 11 rebounds against Northern Arizona and 33 points and 14 rebounds against UC Davis. If he continues this type of season Stanford could find themselves in the NCAA tournament. Raynaud is a 7-footer with the ability to stretch the floor that NBA teams look for, and is starting to draw some draft interest from NBA teams due to his strong start to the season.
Freshman of the Week
Donnie Freeman takes home this week’s Freshman of the Week. Freeman had a tough first game, netting just 6 points and 5 assists against Colgate but bounced back in a double overtime win against the Youngstown State Penguins gaining a double double with 19 points and 12 rebounds to keep the Orange undefeated. Given his playing time, he is a key piece for the Syracuse Orange.
Who’s Hot
JJ Starling, Syracuse
The Orange are staying hot at 3-0 and are dominating my list. After struggling to begin his college career, JJ Starling is a player that is trending in the right direction. He had 12 points and 3 assists against Colgate but he had a massive breakout game against Youngstown State. He had 38 points, 3 assists, 7 rebounds and 1 block. Starling and Freeman are becoming a one-two punch that could dominate the ACC.
Pittsburgh Panthers
The Panthers are off to a great start. They are undefeated and sit at the top of the ACC. Jaland Lowe has put the team on his back and is trending to be a first round pick in the 2025 NBA Draft. He’s averaging 13.6 points and 5.8 assists so far this season. Ishmael Leggett has been the real key piece of 17.2 points per game and 6.2 assists per game. Leggett has arguably been better than Lowe. While he has a lot more experience he is using that to propel this team to the top of the ACC. If it continues they could propel Pitt to March Madness.
Who’s Cold
Ian Jackson North Carolina Tar Heels
The Tar Heels are off to an interesting start to the season sitting at 2-1 with their lone loss being to the Kansas Jayhawks. Ian Jackson was unavailable for that game. Jackson sustained an injury before the game against the Jayhawks. The Bronx, New York, native should be back for the contest against Hawaii. This could affect his draft stock. Jackson was a projected first-round pick before the season started. With him missing time and not playing a lot of minutes this could make him fall in the 2025 NBA Draft.
Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
Currently the worst team in the ACC the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets are 2-2. While that is not a bad record it is just significantly worse than all the other ACC teams. The blue and gold’s offense is currently ninth, while its defense is the third worst in the conference. The Yellow Jackets are off to a much slower start than the other squads before conference play even starts. If they want to have any hope to have a successful season they will have to pick up the slack and start to get on a hot streak.
Top 5 Field Goal Percentage
1. Lynn Kidd, Miami Hurricanes
The Hurricanes are off to an undefeated start to the season. Usually when you think of the green and orange you think of Nijel Pack and star freshman Jalil Bethea but Lynn Kidd has been a big part of the team. Kidd currently has the best field goal percentage in the ACC. He is averaging 14 points per game while shooting 78.3 percent from the field.
2. Cameron Corhen, Pittsburgh Panthers
The Panthers are the hottest team in the ACC. Led by Lowe and Leggett but they have other members of the team who are underrated. One of those players is Cameron Corhen. Corhen is averaging 12.6 points per game while shooting 69.2 percent from the field. He might not be getting the attention he deserves right now, but look for that to change in the future.
3. Ishmael Leggett, Pittsburgh Panthers
Another Panther is fairing himself very well from the field to start this season. Leggett is averaging 17.2 points per game so far this season and is shooting 64.8 percent from the field. He is someone to watch as the season continues.
4. Isaac McKneely Virginia Cavaliers
On a team that lost its coach it was a mystery what this Cavaliers team would look like. They are 3-0 so far this season and McKneely has been a big part of that. The junior is averaging 16 points per game and is shooting 64.0 percent from the field. McKneely has become a leader for his squad.
5. Eddie Lampkin Jr. Syracuse Orange
The Orange have been off to a great start to the season. Most of that is because of Freeman and Sterling but they have some solid role pieces around them. Eddie Lampkin Jr. has been a significant piece for Syracuse. He is averaging 15.0 points per game while shooting 62.5 percent from the field. He is one of the most underrated players in college basketball right now.